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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351239">Once Burned, Twice Shy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gillywulf/pseuds/gillywulf'>gillywulf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Motherland Fort Salem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, ish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:49:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,890</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gillywulf/pseuds/gillywulf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Scylla- she-”</p><p>“I know, but I need you with me right now. Tally’s hurt and you can’t focus and we are a team,” Abigail gripped the sides of her face and forced their gazes to lock. “I will let you feel this when we have time, but we need to go,” she pleaded. Some of the smoke cleared and she managed a nod.</p><p>or<br/> <br/>Raelle and Abigail learn to rely on each other once Scylla shows her true face. It burns them both more than they expect.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Raelle Collar/Abigail Bellweather</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>144</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Once Burned, Twice Shy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>me: man i really wish there was fic for this fandom already</p><p>also me but sounding like homer simpson: fanfiction writers can write fanfiction of anything they want</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raelle could only watch as Scylla’s face burned up in front of her.</p><p>She watched the skin she’d kissed turn to ash and fall to the ground as it revealed a new face, grinning and confident. This wasn’t right. This <em>couldn’t</em> be right. Scylla was a Necro, sworn to fight for good (whatever they felt about those blurred lines was something else entirely), she <em>wasn’t</em> a Spree.</p><p>She <em>wasn’t</em>.</p><p>The new face didn’t speak. She didn’t sing or vocalize or anything. She stepped forward, grin stretching across unfamiliar features like she’d won.</p><p>Raelle’s body jerked backwards as someone tugged her away with the knowledge that this wasn’t a fight their unit could win right now. Raelle couldn’t process anything besides the burning, the burning, the <em>burning</em>-</p><p>“Collar, I need you with me right now, are you with me?” Abigail’s demanding voice was tinged with panic. Smoke seemed to sit heavily between Raelle’s ears as she shook her head.</p><p>“Scylla- she-”</p><p>“I know, but I need you <em>with me</em> right now. Tally’s hurt and you can’t focus and we are a <em>team</em>,” Abigail gripped the sides of her face and forced their gazes to lock. “I will let you feel this when we have time, but we need to <em>go</em>,” she pleaded. Some of the smoke cleared and she managed a nod.</p><p>“Ok, ok, ok,” she muttered to herself. She hauled Tally’s half-conscious body onto her shoulder while Abigail took the other and they bolted. They were barely out of the old warehouse before the whole thing went up in flames.</p><p>Raelle could swear she hear laughter in the churning fire.</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>“You got out of that lightly.” Raelle clenched her fist and dropped her head. Quartermain’s words seemed to echo in the near empty infirmary. Tally was sleeping, the nurses said she’d make a full recovery, but neither Abigail or Raelle could find it in themselves to leave.</p><p>“We understand that.” Abigail was always more prepared than they were.Always so ready to the lead and be the beacon. Raelle’s fist tightened again and the medallion in her palm began to bite.</p><p>Quartermain didn’t respond right away. She’d known about the Necro and the Private’s relationship - it wasn’t a well-kept secret - but there was no rule book for handling a Private’s girlfriend suddenly revealing herself as an undercover Spree. Distance or discipline? She hummed.</p><p>“See to it that the lesson is well learned. Training tomorrow at 0600,” she reminded before walking away. The unit sat in silence after her departure. Raelle’s head was still clouded with smoke and Tally, who stood a far better chance than Abigail at constructively changing her mood, was not currently up for the challenge. </p><p>“You know I’ve wanted this my whole life,” she began slowly. The blond on the other side of the bed didn’t look up. “As a kid, I begged for stories about my grandmothers and the fights they’d won. I stopped interacting with anyone who I knew wouldn’t benefit me in here. Kept all my relationships surface level at best. You guys made me fight to be your friends and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.” Raelle finally looked up.</p><p>The blood-shot whites of her eyes made the light blue brighter, more brilliant and something clicked heavily in Abigail’s chest. It was unfamiliar and warm and her whole body wanted to react to the sight in front of her and the feeling, but she swallowed and didn’t move. She couldn’t. A soldier knew when engagement meant failure.</p><p>“I know you’ve been dreading coming here and I get that. Now. But without you, without Tally, I’d be dead and I’m so glad you’re here.” The severe line of Raelle’s mouth twisted a little bit upwards and the thing in her chest shifted with it.</p><p>“Thanks, Abigail” came the murmur. Bellweather chewed her lip.</p><p>“Abby. You can call me Abby if you want.” She didn’t mention that no one had called her that since first grade when she skinned her knee and her best friend had kissed her cheek and told her it’d be okay. She blinked out of the memory at Raelle’s weak laugh.</p><p>“Careful, people might start to think you actually like me,” she said, easing back into her chair. Her hand relaxed and the chain of Scylla’s medallion slipped from her grip.</p><p>“Yeah well,” Abigail pretended to roll her eyes in exasperation, “someone’s got to be emotionally available right now and it can’t be her,” she jerked a thumb in Tally’s direction. Raelle laughed again, a little less snotty and smiled at her.</p><p>“Thank you, Abby.”</p><p><br/>
~~~</p><p><br/>
Tally woke the next day. Raelle shot out of her chair the moment she started to groan and rub sleepily at her face.</p><p>“Hey, don’t do that,” Raelle carefully held her hands away from the bandages on her face. “Don’t want to mess up the healers’ work.”</p><p>“‘Sfine,” Tally slurred, letting her hands be guided to her sides, “I feel good!” she grinned.</p><p>“You’re drugged is what you are,” Raelle laughed, “jut chill out and you’ll be good to go in no time.” She unscrewed the cap on her water bottle and helped her friend sip enough for her her to sigh in satisfaction.</p><p>“What are you even doing here? Whattabout training?” Talley squinted at the windows to the room, trying to determine the time of day. The drugs made her less than successful.</p><p>“She skipped shower and dinner, that’s why.” Abby’s sudden appearance sent a shudder of surprise through Raelle. She forced the reaction down, dampening it until she wasn’t shooting out of her chair, a note on her lips and rage sliding through her veins. Talley’s admonishing glare helped too.</p><p>“Stay healthy. Once soldier in the hospital is enough, don’ need two,” she mumbled.</p><p>“That’s what <em>I</em> said,” Abby crossed her arms and bumped Raelle’s shoulder with her hip. Her smile was almost affectionate and she didn’t move away after the touch. Raelle leaned into it. “Go, get a shower and some food. I’ll be here. Don’t worry,” Abby assured. There it was again. The look was new and Raelle didn’t know what to think of it. If it were <em>anyone</em> else she would have, but it didn’t make sense for their unit’s Fearless Leader. What could she do with this? Nothing. She couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything about it. That’s what had gotten her a girlfriend who was a Spree spy and a friend in the hospital in the first place. So, nothing. She sighed and stood.</p><p>“Ok, I’ll be back soon. Don’t have too much fun without me.” She tossed a wave over her shoulder and slipped out of the room.</p><p>“Did I miss something?” Talley’s question forced Abby’s attention back to her and her cheeks burned when she realized she’d watched Raelle go long after she was out of sight.</p><p>“Besides Scylla being <em>not</em> Scylla and actually a member of the Spree? No, why?” She occupied the newly vacated seat and frowned at the forgotten water bottle at her feet.</p><p>“Seems different with you and Collar is all. I’m so happy you guys are finally friends. I love you guys and it’s so much better when you get along!” Talley’s eyes slid closed and she smiled through the drowsiness that began to take her again. Abby frowned at first her friend, then the bottle.</p><p>“‘Different’,” she muttered.</p><p><br/>
~~~</p><p><br/>
Abby watched more than she’d admit to. She watched the way Raelle shot out her bunk after a nightmare, the way she was more subdued in social settings, the way her strikes in weapons training were more violent, the way her jaw tightened through notes they wouldn’t have, they way her eyes flitted away from her own increasingly more often.</p><p>She couldn’t tell who was watching who with the number of times it happened, but she wasn’t going to bend over backwards to find out. It was going to go under the rug, with every other temptation.</p><p>Out of sight until it stopped existing.</p><p>Talley got better and came back to regular training which gave her something to focus on. Their unit worked together at every available opportunity to bring Talley back up to speed without pushing. It was easy, as Talley was just as naturally gifted and driven and the rest of her unit.</p><p>But it was also <em>different</em> than it had been before a warehouse burnt up.</p><p>They meshed well in ways they hadn’t before. Their harmonics were next level, they could anticipate each others moves, they agreed on strategies they never would have. Talley noticed the staring, of course. How could she not? If one wasn’t looking at the other, then the other would be. But no one was talking about it and she grew up in what was definitely a cult so handling this stuff was a little out of her depth (not that girlfriends or wives were uncommon in the community, she’d been to no less than ten weddings before her 15th birthday).</p><p>Bellweather had insisted nothing had happened while she’d been out, but something must have changed. It didn’t make sense otherwise. Bellweather was in the bathroom while she and Collar set up evening mediation.</p><p>“So what’s up with you and Bellweather?” She enjoyed the way Collar’s eyes snapped up to hers, wide and confused. “You guys seem really close now. Did you confess your undying love for each other while I was out?” She grinned even more when Collar seemed to go shock still.</p><p>“What? No, nothing. Nothing is going on with me and Abby, okay? Nothing-”</p><p>“Oh, ‘Abby’, huh?” She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks tinted and she scratched self-consciously at the braids on the side of her head.</p><p>“Shut <em>up</em>, Talley,” she huffed. Mhmm. Nothing happened. Sure.</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>When the order finally came down, it felt more like ice in her veins than fire.</p><p>Raelle hoped that was a good sign.</p><p>“The top 5 units posted as of this morning will be moving out at 0500 to lay siege against the Spree stronghold. It will not be there long so we must move swiftly and decisively...” She stopped listening as Quartermain went on with details. This was it. Everything she once hoped for and feared. She was getting sent out too early with not enough training and would likely meet a quick end. But now she wasn’t so sure it was what she wanted.</p><p>Typical really.</p><p>She glanced to Talley on her right. The trembling was barely there, but she could see it. Was she bursting at the seams to get started or regretting the vow at all? She couldn’t guess. Talley was fanatical, but not stupid. The girl on her left-</p><p>She turned and saw the fear without looking for it. Bellweather was gone. Just Abby in her place. Her eyes were wet and her lips were tight. Before the Commanders moved away and dismissed them, Bellweather would return, Abby hidden behind a stiff upper lip and set shoulders. It may be the stoicism that keeps them alive tomorrow.</p><p>But that was tomorrow.</p><p>Raelle knew she was supposed to be standing at attention, still and unmoving. Yet, her hand moved anyway, carefully linking two fingers with Abby’s. She watched her eyes flutter, close for a moment, and then the fingers laced more solidly with her own.</p><p>Tomorrow was tomorrow, and now was now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i want you to know this didn't start out as a shipfic, it just got there on its own</p></blockquote></div></div>
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